


The Majestic Tale of Linus

by StereoChromatic



Category: Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Peanuts
Genre: Aliens, Crossover, Gen, Pre-Time War (Doctor Who)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-10-25 19:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17731109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StereoChromatic/pseuds/StereoChromatic
Summary: Linus discovers he is a Time Lord, with his very own TARDIS. he and a few of his friends go on a series of adventures in a bid to protect the galaxy.





	1. Two Hearts

1st June 1990

Linus woke up with a smile. For some reason, he felt as if today was going to be a good day. Maybe it was because it was the last day of school, or possibly it was because Lucy hadn’t rudely awakened him like she usually did. Linus got up, had breakfast, got dressed, got his lunch ready and his schoolbooks in order before heading out of the door and towards the bus stop.

Already standing there were Charlie Brown and Sally. Linus walked up to them. “Good morning Charlie Brown. Good morning Sally” he said to them. 

“Hey Linus, how are you today?” Charlie Brown asked. “I feel pretty good today, actually.” Linus replied. 

“Is it because of me?” Sally piped up, hoping for a romantic response. 

“No, Sally. It’s because it’s the last day of school!” Linus responded cheerfully. Sally ignored what he said, secretly hoping for a different answer. Not long after, the bus arrived. Sally, Charlie Brown, Linus and the other children waiting at the bus stop all got on the bus. Sally sat next to Linus at the back of the bus with Charlie Brown. The three of them decided to pass the time by playing rock, paper, scissors. 

“Rock! Paper! Scissors!” they shouted. Linus got scissors, Sally got paper, and Charlie Brown got rock. “Everyone seems to have both won and lost.” Linus spoke. 

It was not long before the bus arrived at school. Sally got off the bus and went to her class, whilst Linus and Charlie Brown went to their class. Charlie Brown was relieved to find that they were early for school, for once, and they took their seats inside the classroom. As the bell rang to signal the start of the school day, Miss Othmar walked into the room.  
“Good Morning, class” she said in a clear authoritative voice (which to the untrained ear, sounds like the Wah Wah noise made by a muted trombone).

“Good Morning, Miss Othmar.” The class all replied in unison. 

“This morning, class, in the field of science, we are going to learn about the human heart!” Miss Othmar announced cheerfully. Almost instinctively, Charlie Brown put his hand against his chest, as if to check his heart was still beating. “Are you okay, Carlie Brown?” Linus asked, looking concerned. “I’m just nervous” was Charlie Brown’s reply. 

“Are you all still listening?” Miss Othmar asked, looking straight at Linus. “Good, then I’ll continue. As you all probably know, the human heart is situated near the middle of the body, inside the ribcage. What you don’t know yet is that there are many places in your body where you can measure your pulse. Firstly, the wrist. Now children, the way you measure your pulse is with three fingers (she shows he index, middle and ring fingers so the class can see) and if you place them on your wrist, you should feel a pulse.”

Linus put his three fingers to his wrist. He didn’t feel anything. “I’m probably not doing it right” he thought. He checked his heart. THUMP THUMP THUMP THUMP. “That was four thumps.” Linus thought, suddenly alarmed. This was very strange, and somehow, he had not noticed it before, but he could not deny it now. He had TWO hearts! He kept thinking about what he had just discovered until lunchtime. Charlie Brown was sitting on a bench outside, opening his lunchbox. Linus went over to him.

“So, what do you think about the class we had this morning, Charlie Brown?” Linus asked him. “It wasn’t too bad, it was strange, but not as strange as you falling asleep, Linus.” He replied.

“Hmm, I don’t remember ever falling asleep, Charlie Brown. Are you sure about that?” 

“Well, Linus, your head was resting against the desk, for a second I thought you had fainted.” Charlie Brown responded.

“I probably had fainted.” Linus said. This made Charlie Brown feel slightly guilty for not noticing the difference. “How long was I out?” Linus asked him, concerned.

“About 10 minutes.” Charlie Brown replied. “What baffles me is what made you faint in the first place.” He asked, confused.

“Well,” Linus began “when Miss Othmar told us to measure our pulses, something very strange happened.” 

“And what was that?” Charlie brown interjected.

“Charlie Brown, you know when you check your heartbeat, you hear two thumps.” Linus started. “Yes, Linus?” Charlie Brown responded. “When I checked my heart, I heard four thumps. Which means, that I must have two hearts.” 

“Well that figures.” Charlie Brown muttered. “Are you going to tell anyone else?”

“I’ll tell my parents, since they probably know already, and try to understand the answers they give.”

Just then, Sally arrived. “Hi there, big brother, Hello, Sweet Babboo!” Linus rolled his eyes. “Can I ask you something?” she asked “Do you love me with all your heart?” she asked.  
“Which one? Linus replied, smirking. Charlie Brown began to smirk as well. “I don’t get it.” Sally complained. “You’ll understand it eventually.” Charlie Brown told her. At that moment the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon classes. “Good grief! Is it that time already?” Charlie Brown exclaimed. “See you soon Sally” he said. As he and Linus went to class, leaving Sally to ponder what on earth Linus meant by “Which one?”

The rest of the school day went by quickly. Before long, the school bell rang and everyone, including Linus, Charlie Brown, Sally, Lucy, Rerun, Pig-pen and Schroeder went home. Linus, Lucy and Rerun arrived at their house. Whilst Rerun went to play with his toys, and Lucy began to sit at her psychiatry booth, Linus went to see his father, who was in the kitchen, cooking.

“Good evening, son” Linus’ father said to him. “Dad” Linus began “why did you never tell me I had two hearts?” 

“We thought you’d be able to work that out by yourself.” Linus’ father replied. “Here’s the key to the yellow toyshed. You’ll find the answers to your questions there.”

With that, Linus took the key and went out to the garden and stood in front of the yellow toyshed. He pondered why it had been locked all of his life, and why he was never allowed to enter it before. It was just a toyshed after all. It could not possibly tell him anything. I didn’t have a mouth, for starters. He put the key into the door and turned it, unlocking the door.

As soon as he touched the handle of the door, he instantly remembered that he had forgotten to bring his blanket along with him. So he locked the door, took the key out and ran off to his room. There he found his blanket, lying on his bed. It was a while since he last felt the need to carry it, but somehow, he thought it would be a good idea to bring it. Something about the mysteriousness of the yellow toyshed made him apprehensive. Having retrieved his blanket, he ran back out of the house and back towards the yellow toyshed. He turned the key in the door again, before turning the handle of the door, and he pushed the door open.

What he saw surprised him greatly. He was utterly convinced that from the outside, it looked very small. He looked at the shed from the outside again, and found that he was right, it was small. The inside, by comparison, was huge. This room alone was at least a good few feet wider and longer than the shed outside it. The interior resembled something like a control room. It was shaped like a hexagon, and the walls were white and had lots of little roundels on them. The console in the middle of the room had lots of switches and buttons, but Linus thought better than to start pressing them at random. Also left on the console was a post-it note. It read…

Dear Linus,  
I knew you would end up reading this at some point. I assume right now you’re wondering what this shed is. I would much like to tell you about this in person, however. If you wish to meet me, just push the lever that I’ve stuck a post-it note on. I’ve already pre-set the destination to my house, in a place called Gallifrey. I hope to see you soon.  
Your Grandfather, Felix Van Pelt. 

“So that’s where our Grandfather has been all this time. Gallifrey. Where could that be?” Linus asked himself. He walked around the side of the console until he found the post-it note, which read: “pull me”. He touched the Lever. “Good evening, Linus” said a voice inside Linus’ mind. “The voice speaking to you telepathically right now is the TARDIS in which you are standing. Strange, is it not?” Linus didn’t know how to answer. “Pull the lever. Your grandfather wants to see you.” Linus pulled the lever. The TARDIS began making a VWORP VWORP VWORP sound, before it started flying through time and space. Linus held on to the metal rail on the edge of the walkway to prevent himself being flung around by the TARDIS’ spinning. “How I predicted that I do not know.” Linus said to himself. The TARDIS then stopped, and went quiet. Linus knew he could step out of the TARDIS at this point. He opened the door, blanket in hand, to see where he had landed. 

Standing in front of him was a man that Linus recognised immediately as his grandfather. He looked very much the same as he did in the family photos he’d seen of him. He looked a lot like Linus, especially with regards to his hair, except age had made some of his hair turn grey. He was also taller than Linus, which was no surprise. 

“Welcome, Linus, to my humble abode. I understand you have many questions to ask me.” Felix said. “Grandfather, why do I have two hearts?” Was Linus’ first question. “Please sit down whilst I make us some tea. This may take a while to fully explain.” Felix responded. Linus did as he was told and he sat at the table and looked out of the window. What he saw surprised him at first, but after thinking it through, seeing the sky red and the grass orange seemed normal compared to many of the other things that he had just seen. He pondered whether Gallifrey was the name of the planet rather than just a place name. All he knew, was that his grandfather would tell him everything very soon. Just then Felix was pouring him tea. 

“To answer your first question, Linus, you and I, we, have two hearts because we are not human, Linus. We are Time Lords, native to the planet of Gallifrey. Time Lords, as a race, have the power to fly across time and space in a TARDIS, which stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. Your Tardis can take you anywhere in the universe at any point in time. Have you understood all of that so far?”

Linus nodded. “There are a few thing you need to know about time travel. Rule 1…” 

“Never cross your own time stream.” Linus interrupted “and rule 2 is, never change a fixed point in time, but it is necessary to intervene in an event that someone else attempts to change history.” Linus continued”

“Well done, Linus.” Felix began “Rule 3 is simple, don’t jump out of the TARDIS whilst it’s moving. I can’t think of anymore rules. “I do have a few bits of advice though.” Felix takes a fairly large book off of a shelf. “This book contains details on some of the better known species in the universe. Take a good read of it before going anywhere. Knowing is half the battle, as they always say.”

“You mention battles, does that mean I have to fight?” Linus asked, picking up on that last sentence. “Possibly, depending on where you’re going. Not all species are friendly, and it would be dangerous to explore the galaxies on your own. Bring a friend or two. The TARDIS will tell you anything I missed, including how to pilot it. See you soon Linus.” Felix said, wishing Linus a safe journey home. Linus got up, thanked Felix for giving him answers, and went back to his TARDIS, still in the form of a yellow toyshed, with his blanket wrapped around his neck like a scarf. 

He re-entered the TARDIS rather confidently, until he remembered that he still didn’t really know how to fly this ship yet. “What more do I still need to know” he asked, apparently to nobody. As if to answer his question, a light switched on in the corridor in front of him. Linus walked over to find a door on his right, which led to a room that looked much like his own bedroom. He sat on the bed and closed his eyes. At that moment the TARDIS began to impart information on how to fly the TARDIS into Linus’ brain. Linus opened his eyes, and returned to the console room, setting the co-ordinates to return to Earth (specifically the TARDIS’ previous location, in the garden). And pulling the lever. He held on tight to the railing as the Tardis began dematerialising. When the TARDIS rematerialised, The TARDIS chose this moment in time to give Linus a sonic screwdriver, which Linus picked up and looked at. It was silver, red, and blue, somewhat resembling his shirt and his blanket. “What is this?” Linus asked. “It is a Sonic Screwdriver, a multi-purpose tool. Try it.” The TARDIS replied. Linus pushed the slider on the screwdriver, and the Screwdriver began emitting red light and made a strange high pitched noise (the noise every sonic screwdriver makes). “So what does it do?” Linus asked, still unsure as to what it did. “You’ll find out” the TARDIS replied. Linus put his sonic screwdriver in his pocket before exiting via the front door, whilst carrying the book that Felix had given him.

Linus got home and looked at the nearest clock. He had been gone half an hour. Linus’ father was still cooking. “So, how was Gallifrey?” he asked. “To be honest, I didn’t really see much of it.” Linus replied. “Most of what I saw was grandpa’s house. May I ask a question?” Linus replied.

“And what would that be?” Linus’ Father asked.

“Should my friends know anything about this?” Linus asked.

“You might as well. Lucy came running to tell me that she saw your space-time toyshed disappear, and I know she’ll blab on about it. You might as well give them the full story.” His father told him.

“I will do. Should I ever let them in the toyshed?” Linus asked again.

“So long as you don’t do anything that can get them killed, I’ll allow it.” He said.

“Understood.” Linus replied. “I’m going to go to the table now.” Linus said, walking across to where the dinner table was. He sat down, using his blanket as a back rest, and waited until dinner was ready.

Dinner was served hot, and as Linus began to tuck in to the food his father had cooked, Lucy began to speak. “SO NO ONE bothered to tell ME that the toyshed could DISAPPEAR! And HOW did it disappear anyway?” She said, loudly.

“I think Linus is the best person to answer that” their father said.

“Lucy, you may be surprised to hear that the toyshed is actually not a toyshed, but a machine that can travel through time and space. You may also remember that Felix, our grandfather, moved away to a faraway place called Gallifrey. You probably don’t know that Gallifrey is a planet and that Grandpa and I belong to a race called the Time Lords. The toyshed is mine to pilot. Nobody else here knows how to fly it.”

“Well I’m not flying with YOU.” Lucy remarked.

“Have it your way.” Linus responded, smugly. Lucy kept silent for the rest of the mealtime. Having eaten a large amount of food, Linus was excused from the table. He brought his blanket and his book up to his room, where he sat down to read. The cover read: Major aspects and creatures of the Universe, Volume 1. By The Doctor. Linus read the book until it was bedtime, when, exhausted, he fell sound asleep.


	2. A Heinous Crime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus takes Charlie Brown and Sally on an adventure, Traveling somewhere distant in time and space

2nd June 1990, Earth, Present Day.  
Linus woke up early, so he figured he could finish reading the book before having his breakfast. The book held detailed notes on races such as the Daleks and the Cybermen, and of the ways The Doctor had used his sonic screwdriver to help him on his adventures. With the book finished, he went downstairs to have breakfast, before getting himself dressed, and brushing his teeth. He walked out of the house, wearing his blanket as a scarf and with his sonic screwdriver zipped up in his right pocket. 

***

Sally, in a burst of creativity, had decided today to be, or at least imagined herself to be, Ace Detective Sally Brown, the world famous private investigator. Wearing a light brown longcoat over her usual clothes, she went outside and proceeded to make herself an office, grabbing a desk and a chair, dropping the desk right next to Lucy’s psychiatry stand. Sally set up her chair and sat down. When Lucy arrived at her psychiatry stand, less than 5 minutes later, she was not best pleased.

“What are you doing next to my psychiatry stand, Sally?!” she shouted “Are you trying to take customers away from me?!”

“I’m a private investigator!” Sally replied, clearly, at a volume that, whilst loud, didn’t show anger. “Do you have a mystery for me to solve?” she asked Lucy.

“Well,” began Lucy in a playful manner “I’d like you to investigate the possible sighting of an alien during the daylight hours of yesterday.”

“An Alien?” Sally responded “This seems like an important case. I’ll give you any info if I find out anything about this alien.” She said as she got up from her seat and brandished her magnifying glass at nowhere in particular. 

Lucy began to violently dismantle Sally’s office as soon as she was out of earshot. Sally, however, was searching for clues about the mysterious alien. The first person to ask, she thought, would be Linus. But then she figured it would be easier to ask her brother first, since she knew where he would be. Sally went back inside her house. Charlie Brown was sitting in the living room, watching Saturday morning cartoons. 

“Big brother, may I ask a few questions?” Sally asked. Charlie Brown looked in her direction. 

“I don’t see why not” Charlie Brown replied.

“Well, Lucy has asked me to investigate the possible sightings of an alien during the daylight hours of yesterday. Do you have any information?” Sally asked.

“An Alien? Hmmm” Charlie Brown thought hard. He recounted in his head the events of yesterday. Walking to school with Linus, learning about the human heart, Linus having two hearts…

“Ah Ha!” he announced. “Sally, I think I know who your alien is, and where to find him. 

“Where is he?” Sally asked.

“Follow me, I’ll show you.” Charlie Brown replied. Sally followed Charlie Brown into Linus’ garden, all the way to the yellow toyshed. 

“So you’re telling me the alien is living in this toyshed?” Sally asked.

“Yes, and I also happen to know he responds negatively to the words “Sweet Babboo”” Charlie Brown answered.

“You mean Linus is an Alien!?” Sally retorted, surprised. The door to the yellow toyshed opened. 

“Yes” Linus replied, his head peeking out of the door. “I am a Time Lord. Would you both like to take a look inside?” He asked them. 

“Is there much to see?” Charlie Brown asked “It doesn’t look that big.” 

“You’d be surprised.” Linus answered, walking further into the toyshed. Charlie Brown and Sally followed him inside.

“Welcome to the TARDIS!” Linus announced. 

“It’s bigger on the inside!” Both Charlie Brown and Sally remarked.

“How is that possible?” Sally asked.

“The proper explanation would be that it’s dimensionally transcendental, which basically means it has more than 3 dimensions.” Linus explained. “This is a spaceship, by the way.”

“Where can it go?” Sally asked.

“Anywhere in the universe, any point in time.” Linus replied.

“I want to go to the prettiest planet in the galaxy!” Sally demanded. 

“I’ll try my best.” Linus answered, as he typed in the space-time co-ordinates. “Hold on to the railing” he warned. The TARDIS’ ride can be a bit bumpy sometimes.”

“Got it.” Charlie Brown replied, grabbing the railing. Linus pulled the lever. The TARDIS made its usual VWORP VWORP VWORP sound before dematerialising and hurtling through space. 

“Where are we going?” Sally asked.

“I’ll tell you when we get there.” Linus replied. When the TARDIS stopped, everyone could tell from looking out of the window that they were on a strange planet, filled with futuristic buildings.

“Clearly, the TARDIS’ idea of beauty is different to what you had in mind.” Linus told Sally.

“Well where are we?” Sally asked.

“The TARDIS says this is the year 8182 on the planet Xenon, home of the Whifferdills.”

“Who are the Whifferdills?” Charlie Brown asked.

“The Doctor’s book said they are a race of shapeshifting creatures, but other than that, it doesn’t say much else.” Linus answered. “Shall we go and see?” he asked.

The three of them ventured out onto the planet. The city in front of them was vast, with tall buildings built in shapes that definitely symbolised that they were in the 82nd Century. It concerned Linus that the city seemed quieter than you would expect of a city of this size. Even so, it didn’t take long before a Whifferdill showed up in front of them, disguised as a Parrot. 

“Hello.” The Parrot said to Linus. “And who might you be?” he asked.

“I’m Linus, and this is Sally and Charlie Brown, my companions.” Linus replied.

“My name is Praline. I am a shapeshifting whifferdill, currently morphed as a parrot.” Praline told them, as he perched on Sally’s shoulder.

“I see you’ve chosen to be a Norwegian Blue.” Sally remarked. 

“I got the idea from a TV show I watched.” Praline replied. 

“So, Praline, where are we, and why do the streets seem empty?” Sally asked. 

“Well, Sally, Linus, Charlie Brown, recently the city was rocked by a most heinous crime.” Praline began. “A bank heist.”

“A bank heist? Good grief.” Charlie Brown remarked.

“Calm down, Charlie Brown.” Linus told him. “On a scale of fisticuffs to full scale planetary invasion, a bank robbery is only halfway along the scale.” He continued.

“That is of course, until you consider that this planet, and the nature of the inhabitants that live here, require the banks to be some of the most secure places in the galaxy.” Praline replied.

“Oh yes, I should have remembered. Your people can shapeshift into pretty much any being they wish, so the bank would have to be safeguarded against every shape of being imaginable.” Linus realised. “And if the most secure building in the galaxy has been broken into, that means…”

“That nowhere is safe” Praline said, finishing Linus’ sentence. 

“So, where first?” Charlie Brown asked.

“Straight to the bank, Charlie Brown. We have an investigation to do!” Sally replied, in a playfully serious manner. 

The three of them went further into the city, guided by their new acquaintance Praline, who, having shown them a few sights, such as the Building of Unending Tallness (10km tall, for the record), and the Seruza Café (known for its 20th Century architecture), led them straight to the bank. 

The bank was an imposing structure, much as you would expect a high security bank to look like, looking rather square, and its walls had sharp and pointy corners. The bank’s name shone across the entrance doors. It read “Xenon Prime Bank”. Praline entered the automatic double doors first, followed by Linus, Sally, and Charlie Brown. The bank interior was relatively well organised compared to the outside of the building, with wooden flooring and leather chairs. The group walked up to the reception desk. A Whifferdill with the appearance of a tall, thin woman was sitting at the desk.

“Good morning.” Said the receptionist. “How can I help you?”

“We are here to investigate how the ‘most secure’ bank in the galaxy could be subject to a robbery.” Linus told her. 

“With the objective of having the culprit apprehended.” Sally added.

“I’ll see what I can do.” The receptionist answered. She went to the back of the reception office, apparently trying to ring someone, as far as the group could see. When the receptionist’s call was finished, she went back to her position on the front desk. “The Manager is waiting for you in his office, on the door to your right. Good luck on your case.” She said to them.

They knocked on the door. “Come in.” came a voice from inside the room. Linus, Sally, and Charlie Brown entered, followed by Praline. When they were inside, the Manager motioned for them to sit down. The manager was well dressed, if rather pudgy, and wore a black suit and tie. The manager began “So who are you people anyway?”

“My name is Linus Van Pelt, and these are my companions Sally and Charlie Brown, and also our Whifferdill friend Praline.”

“We heard from him that your bank was robbed recently.” Charlie Brown added.

“And he would be right.” The Manager responded. “And we’re no closer to catching the culprit, either. The Police were here yesterday, and they found no evidence of a break-in at all.”

“Strange.” Said Linus. “Do you think that your own employees could be behind this?”

“The Police tried to call them in for questioning, but when they rang, none of them were at their homes, apart from the receptionist, who was found not to be a culprit.” The Manager replied.

“An odd case indeed” Linus began. “We’ll see what we can do.” Linus, Sally, Charlie Brown and Praline got up out of their seats and left the Manager’s office. Once they were back in the main reception area, Linus and the others sat down on leather chairs, Praline perching on one of the armrests. “Sally,” Linus began “I know you like being an Ace Detective and everything, but did you really have to drag us into this mess?”

“I never dragged anything. You were the one to take us here.” Sally responded. 

“I know it’s partially my fault, Sally, but you were the one who got us to investigate. We could have just as easily gone back to the TARDIS and searched for a different planet, but you insisted on solving this case."

“Do you have a problem with me wanting to do investigations?” Sally asked.

“It’s not that.” Linus replied. “It’s just, my father only let me bring you guys along on the condition that none of you would get hurt and…” 

“Are you saying this is dangerous?” Sally interrupted.

“We’re trying to solve a bank robbery on a planet inhabited by shapeshifting aliens. I wouldn’t call it the safest thing in the world, no.” Linus replied.

“Speaking of which, how are we going to solve this?” Charlie Brown asked. 

“I don’t know yet. We should go back to the TARDIS to think it over.” Linus replied. They got up, and left the bank out of the front entrance. Praline flew on ahead, leading Linus, Sally, and Charlie Brown back to the TARDIS, before perching on the roof to keep watch for any intruders. The three adventurers entered the TARDIS, heading off into the kitchen for a quick break, and to discuss their plan. 

“Any ideas?” Charlie Brown asked.

“I want to know why the employees were not at their homes when the police came to call.” Sally demanded. 

“Good point. It would seem odd that no one would be home, until you realise that the inhabitants of this planet are shapeshifters, so…”

“The robbers stole the identities and appearance of the people working at the bank!” Sally concluded. 

“And the security wouldn’t have suspected a thing!” Charlie Brown added.

“Most likely the security guards were replaced as well” Linus added. “They wouldn’t want to risk getting caught.” 

“So how do we catch them?” Charlie Brown asked.

“The plan is” Linus began, “firstly, we go back to the bank, asking to interview the workforce. Then, we ask them some basic questions, such as what they know about the bank, and who their friends are. When they begin to contradict each other, we’ll ask them to reveal themselves, and where they’re hiding the real employees. Then we arrest the criminals and set about freeing the captive employees. Understood?”

“What if the criminals are hostile?” Charlie Brown asked.

“If it gets too dangerous, we’ll run, and try to get the police to help.” Linus replied, somewhat disappointed in himself that he glossed over a crucial part of his plan. “You guys ready?” Linus asked them.

“Yep. Ready!” Sally said.

“I’m also ready!” Charlie Brown said. The three of them began to make their way towards the console room. On the way to the TARDIS control room, Sally heard a ‘ding!’ noise emanating from one of the many cupboards. She opened the cupboard where she thought the dinging noise was coming from. Inside the cupboard was a small machine. Sally looked at the small machine with an expression of puzzlement, since she had never seen the machine before, and did not understand its purpose. Despite that, she thought it would be worth bringing it along with them, so she picked it up, and put it into the front right pocket of her longcoat, before running off to catch up with the others. When she got to the control room, Linus and Charlie Brown were already waiting. 

“How long have you been waiting for me?” Sally asked.

“About a minute.” Linus replied.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting.” Sally said. Are we going then?” she asked.

“Yes. Let’s go.” Linus said, as they walked their way through the TARDIS door. Praline flew off of the roof of the TARDIS, leading ahead of them as they went back to the bank.


	3. Banks and Buildings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus, Sally and Charlie Brown continue their investigation, and turn up more than they were hoping for.

When Linus, Sally, Charlie Brown and Praline went through the double doors of the bank entrance, they did so with lots of enthusiasm, such that it turned heads towards them. Charlie Brown noticed this.

“Why are they staring at us?” Charlie Brown quietly asked Linus.

“We opened the doors too hard. Just move along and they’ll ignore us.” Linus answered. They walked up to the reception desk, where the receptionist that they had seen earlier was standing.

“Hello again.” Said the receptionist. “Do you need help with your case?” She asked.

“As a matter of fact, yes.” Linus began. “Go on.” The receptionist said. “We would like to ask if we were allowed to ask the workers a few questions.” Linus explained.

“If this helps you in your investigation, then I don’t see why not.” The receptionist replied. The receptionist opened the door to the Bank office, allowing Linus, Sally, and Charlie Brown into the staff area. Sally told Praline to keep watch outside for anyone who looked suspicious. The receptionist gave the three adventurers a lanyard each, which would prove to any other employee that they had every right to be there. The three of them headed deep inside the bank.

“Who are we going to ask first?” Sally asked, checking the dinging machine (the light was off).

“We’re going towards the vault.” Linus answered. “The security guard is likely to be working with the culprits in this sort of case.” He continued. They carried on walking towards the vault, where a security guard was standing.

“Halt! Who goes there?!” the security guard shouted.

“My name is Linus Van Pelt, and these are my companions Sally, and Charlie Brown. We’re here to ask you a few questions about the heist that occurred recently.”

“Hit me with your best shot, though I don’t understand why I should answer to the likes of you.” The security guard replied.

“First question.” Linus said, ignoring the insult. “How long have you been working at this bank?” he asked.

“Ooh, about 7 years.” Said the security guard.

“Second Question. How is your current relationship with your boss?” Linus asked.

“Oh, I would say that it is very good.” The security guard replied.

“He’s hesitating, Linus.” Sally said in Linus’ direction.

“I know, Sally.” Linus said back. “Now then, third question.” He said to his suspect. “What is your current relationship status?

“Single.” The suspect replied, confidently. 

“Good.” Said Linus. “I was hoping you would say that, as a single look at the wedding ring on your right hand told me otherwise. And that, along with your hesitant answers to simple questions proves to me that you are not the real security guard, and that you kidnapped the security guard and adopted his form, as did several accomplices, to allow this bank heist to take place. Am I Correct?” he said, pointing an accusing finger at the suspect. 

*DING*

“What was that noise?” Linus asked. “It came from your direction, Sally.”

“Oh, you mean this?” Sally replied, taking out the machine that she had put in her pocket earlier. “I have no idea what it does, besides ‘ding’” Sally continued, before displaying it to Linus. 

“Ah, I remember.” Linus began. “The Doctor wrote in his book about this. He said about this thing being able to detect Zygons.”

“And what are Zygons?” Sally asked.

“Big red rubbery aliens, covered in suckers. They can shapeshift too.

“And when the light on this machine is on…” Sally pondered, aloud. 

“…It means that a Zygon is near us.” Linus answered.

“The light is on…” Sally said. “What should we do, Linus?”

“RUN!” Linus yelled, darting back down the corridor, quickly followed by Sally and Charlie Brown. The Zygon, still in disguise, gave chase. As the 3 adventures ran past a door, Charlie Brown hurriedly slammed it in the Zygon’s face, giving them more time to escape. When they got back into the lobby, all three of them pushed their weight against the door, so that the Zygon could not get to them. 

“Everything alright?” asked the receptionist, surprised.

“Can you lock the door, please?” Linus asked back, sounding tired. “We’ll explain more once we are at somewhere safe.” The receptionist grabbed a key from her desk, pushed it into the lock and locked the door, with the Zygon still inside. Linus told the receptionist that they should discuss the current situation in the manager’s office.

Linus, Sally and Charlie Brown made their way over to the manager’s office, followed by the receptionist and Praline, who had ensured that no one would interrupt the three on their investigation. Once they were in the manager’s office the manager motioned for them to sit down.

“So, what have you learnt so far?” The Manager asked.

“Well, so far, we’ve found out that the original employees were kidnapped, by the perpetrators, and that the perpetrators shapeshifted into the forms of your employees. Thanks to Sally, we also know that the perpetrators are not Whifferdills either.”

“They’re, ‘Zygons’” Sally explained. 

“So they’re, invaders from another world!” Remarked the Manager. “We should tell the Police!”

“Something tells me that the Police here aren’t trained to deal with alien threats.” Charlie Brown pointed out. 

“That would be true.” The Manager replied. “I have to say, Linus, you’ve proven to be one of the finest detectives on this planet, even when the police couldn’t find anything.”

“That’s rather flattering, but do go on.” Linus interrupted.

“Tell me Linus, where on Xenon did you come from?” the Manager asked.

“Oh, he’s not from Xenon.” Praline intervened. “I’ve seen their spaceship.”

“WHAT!?” roared the Manager.

“Allow me to explain.” Linus replied. “If you don’t want us to, then, by all accounts let us leave you to solve this yourselves without our help.”

“Go on, explain.” The Manager said, grumpily, motioning for the receptionist to go make him a coffee. Clearly the idea of aliens stressed him out.

“I am a Time Lord, native to Gallifrey, but I have lived on planet Earth with my companions all my life.” Linus explained. 

“He’s right.” Sally confirmed. “The Spaceship that Praline described looks like a yellow toyshed.” Sally elucidated. 

“Put simply,” Praline summarised. “These aliens are here to help you solve a case involving other aliens. Capiche?”

“Capiche.” The Manager replied. “Go away, before I get mad again. I need some rest.”

The three got up, and left the manager’s office. They made their way to the bench where they had had a discussion a short while ago.

“Some meeting.” Sally said to Linus.

“I agree it wasn’t the most constructive of conversations.” Linus replied. “Should we continue pursuing this case?” he asked her.

“We’re finishing this.” Sally replied. “I want to get to the bottom, and see the criminals arrested.” She looked around the room a bit before asking “So Linus, what’s our plan?”

“Well,” Began Linus. “The Zygons most probably have a base of operations, or at least somewhere where they can put the stolen money.”

“You’d need a big place to store all of that money.” Charlie Brown added. “Like a Spaceship.”

“Or an extremely tall building.” Sally pointed out, remembering the Building of Unending Tallness that Praline had shown them on the way to the bank.

“That’s a good idea.” Linus complimented. 

“More importantly, how do we get inside, and what do we do once we get in?” Charlie Brown asked, joining in the conversation.

“Well,” Linus began. “First, we try and find a way into the building, then once we are in the building, we try and locate the missing employees of the bank. After freeing the   
captives, then we’ll try and confront the Zygons, who are probably near the top of the building, and try and find a resolution.”

“I sure hope there’s an elevator in there.” Sally replied.

“I’m sure there is an elevator in there somewhere.” Charlie Brown replied. “the building’s taller than Mount Everest, of course it’s going to have an elevator.” 

“I guess so.” Sally responded.

“Shall we be going then?” asked Praline.

“Yes.” Linus replied. “Let’s go to the Building of Unending Tallness!” 

And so Linus, Sally and Charlie Brown got up from where they were sitting, and headed toward the exit door of the bank, with Praline flying behind them. Once they were outside, Praline led them to the street on which the Building of Unending Tallness stood. As they stood in front of the main door, they all observed how tall the building was.

“It hurts your head to look up.” Sally commented.

“So don’t bother looking.” Linus responded. “Our job is to get inside.” He reminded them. Linus walked up to the front door, and tried to open it. It didn’t budge.

“Locked.” Linus muttered.

“What’s up?” Sally asked.

“The door’s locked, we’re going to have to find another way in.” Linus replied.

“Let’s see if this building doesn’t have a side or back entrance.” Charlie Brown suggested.

“Good idea, Charlie Brown.” Linus said to him. Linus and the others went around the side of the building, finding no doors. As they rounded the 3rd side of the building (going clockwise), Sally spotted something of use.

“Look, an air vent!” Sally said excitedly.

“And it’s large enough for us to fit through!” Linus added.

“It’s a little way up though” Sally pointed out.

“I’m sure we could get inside with a little teamwork.” Linus responded. “Praline, could you please remove the grate?”

“Certainly.” Praline replied. And he flew over to the grate and pulled it off the building. From how easily it gave way, it was clearly only installed as an afterthought. 

“I’ll go in first.” Linus said. “Could you help me up, Charlie Brown?” he asked.

“Sure.” Charlie Brown replied. And Charlie Brown lifted Linus up so he could reach the air vent. After Linus clambered into the air vent, he turned around to pull Charlie Brown up into the air vent. After that Charlie Brown pulled Sally up, with Praline resting on her shoulder, having dropped the grate on the ground. 

Linus led them through the vent, dropping them through a ceiling on the ground floor. 

“It’s dark.” Sally commented.

“Let’s find a Light then.” Linus replied. And Linus switched on a light on the nearest wall.

“There’s one thing bothering me.” Sally said.

“What’s that?” Linus asked.

“For a building like this in the 82nd Century, wouldn’t you expect there to be some sort of highly advanced security system, like an alarm or something?”

“Well, for a building of this size,” Linus began. “The more valuable things are probably held at the top of the building, as it’s hardest to get to.”

“So the security measures will be higher up.” Sally replied “Like pressure plates and audio sensors, heat sensors, cameras etc.

“I hope not.” Linus replied. “I’m no Ethan Hunt.”

“Let’s look for an elevator.” Charlie Brown said. “I’m sure there’s one around here somewhere.

“Or a map.” Sally added.

“That works too.” Charlie Brown replied. So they all went through the first floor looking for an elevator, or a map. It wasn’t too long before Sally and Linus found the map. Although the map was so tall it reached up to the next floor. “So we are on the bottom floor.” Linus said.

“And the top of the map reaches up this flight of stairs.” Sally replied, running up the flight of stairs. Sally read the top of the map.

“This building has 3000 Floors!” She called down to Linus. 

“Let me see that.” Linus replied, as he and Charlie Brown ran up the flight of stairs also. “You’re right. This building does have 3000 floors. And we’re on floor 1!”

“Let’s look for an elevator then.” Sally replied, taking the lead. They checked the map to see where the nearest elevator was, and found it was a short distance ahead and left of them, so they went to the elevator, pushed the button labelled up, and went inside the elevator. The elevator itself was quite large, about enough to fit 50 people. The group immediately noticed this.

“This elevator is huge.” Sally said. 

“Well, it has to be big.” Linus replied. “How many people do you think this place could fit in? When it was in use, I mean.” 

“At least 50,000” Charlie Brown answered, “although that would only put 17 people on each floor.” He continued. 

“Could we stop staring at the elevator size and actually get somewhere?” Sally asked impatiently. 

“Yes, lets.” Linus responded. “Now let’s see here… …Great. This elevator only goes to floor 200.” 

“Does it?” Sally asked before checking it herself. “That’s annoying.” She said, before pressing the button labelled 200. As the elevator reached that floor the doors opened.  
“So what’s on this floor?” Sally asked.

“Offices, offices and offices, it looks like.” Linus answered.

“And still no security cameras.” Sally added.

“Let’s keep going.” Linus replied. So they pressed on, passing the offices before going into the next elevator ahead of them. 

“Hey, this one goes up to floor 600.” Linus said. 

“I guess that saves a bit of time.” Sally said. “Let’s head to the next elevator.” And they went off along floor 600, spotting offices, a canteen and a rec room, before continuing on to the elevator again.

“And this one goes to floor 1000” Linus said.”

“Moving on up.” Sally replied.

The elevator doors opened. 

“Ooh, there’s security cameras on this floor.” Sally noted.

“I’ll deal with those.” Linus said, as he took out his Sonic Screwdriver and pointed it at the security camera. The security camera started sparking.   
“Won’t the Zygons notice? Charlie Brown asked.

“They won’t, unless they check the viewscreens.” Praline replied. Sally smiled knowingly at him. The group continued down the corridor, Linus destroying the other 3 security cameras as they went, before they went into the next elevator.

“Floor 1500 this time.” Linus commented, pressing the button. The elevator made its way up the 500 floors, before stopping at its destination. The doors opened, revealing a dark corridor with a room at the end.

“What is this place?” Linus asked as they walked down the corridor. When they got to the end of the corridor, what greeted them would surprise them greatly.   
“Loads of cylindrical receptacles, each with a person inside.” Sally observed.

“Is that, Praline?!” Linus said pointing at a receptacle with a blue parrot inside.

“Good Grief!” said Charlie Brown.


	4. Floor 2607

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus, Sally, and Charlie Brown confront the Zygon threat head on.

“I assume it must be.” Sally replied. “I’m sure you have lots to say about this, Praline.” She said, staring at the fake Praline on her shoulder.

Praline hopped off of Sally’s shoulder. “Yes, yes, I’m a Zygon. Before you cower and run, I should probably tell you a few things.”

“Such as?” Sally asked.

“Zygons have a bad history, bad future and we aren’t the most friendly race in. the galaxy.” Praline began. 

“Go on.” Linus urged.

“Our home planet was destroyed, and since then we have been looking for new planets to make our homes. Unfortunately, our biology forces us to be connected to the person in order to shapeshift as them. Otherwise we look horrible and dangerous. I myself have been trying to avoid sticking my feet where they shouldn’t be. The palms of our hands have little poison barbs on them.”

Sally breathed a sigh of relief. 

“So you chose bird form to minimise contact with others right?”

“I did.” Praline responded. “I didn’t want to be of harm to anyone. I just wanted to fit in.”

“I think we should start by freeing these people.” Linus suggested, pointing his sonic screwdriver at the capsules. The locks on the capsules began to dislodge. The Whifferdills inside began to fall out and wake up, one by one. A number of them got up and watched the spectacle. 

“We’re alive!” one of them shouted. 

“We’ve been saved.” Cried another.

The Last of them, Praline’s original host, began to stir. Praline hopped off of Sally in panic. But to his surprise, nothing happened.

What? Asked Praline. “How am I still… like this?”

“It seems that your biology has adapted.” Linus replied.

“Who’s he?” asked the Real Praline. “And what is he doing with my body?”

“I’m a Zygon. I’m part of an alien race that has tried to settle on your planet but we have failed to integrate as of yet.”

“Why?”

“Most of us are dangerous and arrogant.” Praline responded. “They don’t understand that living peacefully is the best way forward. That’s why they raided the bank. They thought that by stealing the money, they could live off the high life at the top.”

“Most of the people they took were employees of the bank.” Said the real vault security guard. 

“So why didn’t you join in with them?” asked Sally.

“Because I knew it was the wrong thing to do.” Praline said. “I felt like I had a responsibility to adapt to my surroundings.”

“Even though the others wanted to do the opposite?” Linus asked.

“Of course, I came here to seek refuge, not to invade, steal, or whatever. I wanted this to be my new home.” Praline said sorrowfully.

“It still is your new home.” Charlie Brown said. “Isn’t that right, everyone.” He said to the crowd of onlooking Whifferdills. 

“Yeah, but what about his friends?” One of them shouted.

“I think I can convince them.” Praline assured.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Sally asked.

“Of course.” Praline reassured. “If I recall correctly they’re on floor 2607.”

“Okay.” Linus said, trying to think of a plan. After a minute or two, Linus thought of something.

“Okay. I have a plan.” Linus announced. “Sally, Charlie Brown, Praline, you’re with me.” 

“Which one?” Praline asked.

“Both of you.” Linus said. “The rest of you, go down the flights of elevators down to the exit.” He ordered. Linus and the others ran towards the elevator opposite the one they went through. 

“Huh, this only goes up to floor 2500.” Charlie Brown commented. After going through that elevator and winding up in the next one, Linus pushed the button that read ‘2607’. As the elevator went up for the last time, Sally felt a lump in her throat. She assumed it was just fear, but she couldn’t really tell. At last the elevator came to a halt. The doors opened, and Praline entered first.

“Hello, boys.” Praline said, in the most unaggressive way he could think of.

“Oh, It’s you.” Said the Zygon security guard. “Come back for more, pathetic aliens?”

“Oh sure, we came back.” Linus said. “In a few minutes, your heist days will be long gone.” 

“And I’m sure you haven’t noticed the other thing.” Sally said. Pointing at both of the Pralines.

“Praline?” one of the Zygons asked. 

“And his host?” cried another. “This means we don’t have to keep them hostage anymore.” 

“You mean THEY ESCAPED?” yelled the Zygon security guard.

“Well, duh.” Praline said. “What the point of taking prisoners you don’t need?” 

“I wanted to rule over them.” Cried the security guard. “I wanted the money to bend this planet to my will.  
”  
“All Praline wanted was to live.” Linus said. “Your ambition will prove to be your downfall.” He told him, as he and the others circled around the room to the other side. 

“Oh you think so?” snarled the security guard. “I’m going to make you PAY for what you did to me!” he yelled, transforming back into his original self. He tried to claw at Sally, but the other 4 Zygons in the room held him back. Sally hugged Linus and held on tight.

“What are you doing?” he asked. “I demand that you let me go!” 

“We’re stopping you from doing something stupid, sir.” Said one Zygon. “And we want to make this our home, too.”

“On our planet, there was Zygon, and only Zygon.”

“But now we have to make good of what we have left.” Praline told him.

“I did make good.” “I stole half of the darn bank.” “We could have lived off of that for decades.”

“YOU made good of other people’s things.” Linus said with an accusatory tone. “Praline, on the other hand, saw us and welcomed us here as if this was his home. You had no right to flout the law.” The security guard began to snarl viciously.

“Uh oh.” Praline exclaimed. “Something’s up.”

“You think he might be mad?” said the real Praline, who was flapping next to him. The security guard roared in anger.

“That’s enough!” said the security guard, trying to wrestle himself free. “I’m going to kill you all. And I will RUUULLLE!” he then pressed a button under his feet, and then turned silent. Just then several numbers appeared on each of the floor panels.

“What now?” asked Sally, suddenly nervous. 

“Urgh.” Linus muttered. “That’s evil, that is.” 

“What?” Charlie Brown asked.

“You’ve planted bombs across the entire floor.” Linus said. The security guard began to smile evilly.

“How observant.” Said the security guard. “In about three minutes, this floor is going to self-destruct, taking out all of the glass flooring and walls around it. You will all die in here, with me!” 

“You’re a lunatic!” said the real Praline.

“That’s obvious.” Charlie Brown said.

“So now you value power more than your own life?” asked One Zygon.

“And our lives too, come to think of it.” Said another next to him. “Look, I think we can hold him off for a bit, you should get out while you still can. 

“THEY WON’T!” shouted the security guard, as he wriggled his arms free, punching two Zygons as he did so. 

“We mean you guys.” One of the other Zygons clarified. The security guard kicked the two other Zygons in the face, trying to break free. A ding was heard, and the elevator went down. Everyone stood in silence whilst this happened. 4 of the Zygons were knocked out on the floor. The security guard was now free, as he staggered over to where the heroes were standing.

“I’m going to kill you!” yelled the security guard. 

“Not today!” Linus shouted back. He turned to face the window. Beyond that was a 29000ft drop down to the planet below.

“You can’t be serious.” Sally pleaded. 

“Hold my hand.” Linus assured her. We’re going to be fine. “You grab on too, Charlie Brown.”

Charlie Brown grabbed on to Sally’s hand. Linus then ran at the window. At the last second, he jumped feet first, kicking the window and smashing it.

“Wait for us!” Cried the two Pralines. The three of them tumbled through the air, with the two Pralines following on just behind. 

“So did you think this was still a good idea?” Sally shouted to Linus over the sound of the wind rushing past them. 

“Yes, it’s a brilliant idea.” Linus shouted back to her.

“We’ll at the moment we’re falling to our deaths.” Charlie Brown said grimly. 

“Well I still have a plan!” shouted Linus. And the Zygons don’t. At that moment an explosion rung out. Floor 2607 had blown up, with 5 Zygons still inside. The glass walls and flooring 50 floors above and below it had shattered.

“Is it a good plan?” Charlie Brown asked. Linus just nodded. 

“Hey, Praline!” Linus called out to them. 

“Yes?” they both answered.

“Do you think you could help us?” Linus asked.

“How?” asked Praline.

“Could you guys transform into something that will get us down safely?” Linus asked, hoping for a positive answer.

“What should we turn into?” asked the real Praline. 

“Falcons.” Linus told them. “Peregrine Falcons!” With the ground fast approaching, the real Praline began to transform into a Peregrine Falcon. The Zygon Praline also transformed, to fit his host.

“Ok good. Now swoop down and grab our arms.” Linus commanded. The two peregrines swooped down, reaching for the arms of Charlie Brown and Linus. Just when they were 100m or so off the ground, they clamped onto Charlie Brown and Linus. The Zygon Praline had caught on a part of the arm that was covered by Linus’ blanket, so Linus was unharmed. The peregrines changed direction, pulling the three of them away from the ground. All three of them were hurtling along at 200 mph just above the ground, the Peregrines straining to hold the weight of the three of them.

“Please! Slow down!” Sally cried. “I can’t hold on for very long!” 

The two Pralines slowed down as best they could, eventually they came to a halt and landed, on a field not too far away from the city. 

“Whew.” Sally, Linus, and Charlie Brown all sighed, as they all sat down on the field. The two Peregrines perched next to them, before the real Praline turned both of them back to his preferred parrot form. 

“Do you think your friends made it out?” Sally asked Praline.

“No. they were knocked out with no hope of escape. Not that it really matters to me much. They didn’t like it when I went against their plans. My conscience is clear.”

“Mine isn’t.” Linus said sombrely. 

“Why is that?” Sally asked, concerned. 

“I feel like I should have saved them. They didn’t deserve to die.”

“There was nothing you could have done.” Zygon Praline reassured him. “The Zygon Prince brought it upon himself. He got them killed, not you.”

“So that’s his name.” Linus said bitterly, a feeling of sadness beginning to surface. “Why couldn’t the other ones live?”

“Sometimes you try your hardest and nothing comes of it.” Praline responded. “It’s amazing enough that you managed to save as many people as you did. The Whifferdills are probably exiting the building as we speak.”

“Okay. I feel a little bit better now.” Linus said. He laid back onto the ground. Sally joined him. “You see, Linus, all of those stars in the sky above you"

“Yes Sally?” He said, looking at her. 

“Somewhere, out there, someone is going to be very happy that you’ve saved my life, and several others around you.”

“And if there’s anything you can learn from me, Linus, it’s that you can’t win ‘em all.” Charlie Brown commented.

Linus lay there for a while. A smile broke on his face, and his eyes closed. Sally looked over him.

“Linus? You okay?” Sally asked, in a slightly panicky tone.

“He’s fine.” Charlie Brown assured. “He’s just sleeping. That’s all.”

“Come now. Let’s get you to someplace warm.” The real Praline suggested. Sally and Charlie Brown got up, carried the sleeping Linus and followed the Pralines to the real Praline’s house. Linus was dropped gently onto the bed where he lay fast asleep. Sally and Charlie Brown also decided to have an early night, and slept in some sleeping bags found in Praline’s cupboard. The two Praline’s sat there, watching the trio sleeping. 

“I think you’d fit in here quite nicely.” The real Praline said to the Zygon Praline.

“You think so?” he replied.

“Sure.” Praline responded. “So long as we both keep well behaved. And one other thing.”

“Yes?” asked the Zygon Praline. 

“Can I call you Hazel?” Praline asked.

“I don’t mind particularly.” Hazel responded.

“Then it’s settled. It can feel quite empty when I’m this size.” Praline responded happily. The two of them perched somewhere in the house and began to doze off.


	5. The Beautiful Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Linus and friends return to Earth after their adventure.

The next morning, Linus and Sally woke up to a burning smell. Sally got up and tried to ruffle Linus.

“Linus, wake up!” she shouted.

“What’s going on?” Linus asked.

“I smell something burning. I think the house is on fire.” Sally said. Linus looked over at the sleeping bags.

“Where’s Charlie Brown?” 

“I don’t know.” Sally said, beginning to fret. “Charlie Brown, Where are you?!” she shouted.

“I’m right here!” Charlie Brown shouted back. Sally walked over to where her brother’s voice was coming from. “Oh.” She said sheepishly. Charlie Brown was right there, trying hopelessly to salvage his burnt toast from the toaster with a plastic set of tongs.

“Sorry about that.” Charlie Brown apologised. 

“I feel more sorry for the toast.” Linus said. The toast had blackened to the point of being inedible.

“Well, we might as well have cold cereal now.” Sally suggested.

“That would be a good idea.” Praline agreed, popping up from the perch on which he and Hazel had been sleeping. “There’s some in the top cupboard. I’ll go and get it for you.” Praline reached up to the cupboard and opened it, revealing the boxes of cereal. “Catch!” he called out to Charlie Brown, as he chucked the boxes of cereal at him with his claws. Charlie Brown could do nothing but fumble them all the way to the breakfast table, where he swiftly dropped them. Sally and Linus smiled awkwardly at him, but Charlie Brown ignored it and sat down at the table. The three of them ate a hefty, well deserved bowl of cereal each. After that, the group got up and ready, and went to town. 

The townsfolk were still talking about the events at the tower which had happened the day before. Many of them were amaze that the building was still standing. Whifferdill Police had cordoned off the area where glass had fallen. As they approached near the bank, the Bank Manager greeted him with a big smile.

“I’m very sorry for being so inconsiderate earlier.” The Manager apologised. “You have done me a great service”. 

“It’s okay” Linus replied. “I knew you were stressed by the situation. How are your employees?” 

“All of them are back, safe and sound.”

“And what happened to the money?” 

“The money was found in a floor of the very tall building, still intact. We are putting the money back into the bank vault as we speak.” The Manager replied. 

“That’s good to hear.” Linus replied.

“Where to now?” Sally asked. 

“I think we should go to that coffee shop.” Linus suggested. 

“You mean the Seruza Café?” Praline asked. “Yes.” Linus replied. “Well that should be delightful.” And all the others agreed. As they walked into the Seruza Café, the barista greeted them with a smile. “Hello, friend.” He said to him. “What would you like?”

“Three cups of hot chocolate.” Linus replied.

“And for the rest of you?” the barista asked. 

“Oh.” Linus said, slightly bemused.

“I think he meant for the three of us.” Charlie Brown replied.

“Ah, right.” The barista replied. “And for the two of you?”

“Americano, please.” Praline answered. The group paid for their drinks, before sitting down at a table, drinks in hand. Praline looked at Linus. “What are you planning on doing once you get back?” Praline asked.

“I don’t know.” Linus replied, sipping his chocolate. “I might tell my friends about this. I could think about having another adventure.”

“You could do with a nice long rest.” Charlie Brown suggested.

“After I finish my chocolate.” Linus said. The three of them finished their chocolate, and before they knew it, it was time to go. 

“Well, I’ll remember this.” Linus said.

“If you ever need us, we’ll be here.” Praline promised. “I’d be glad to have another adventure with you someday, but for now, Toodle-pip.”

“And the same to you.” Linus said, waving goodbye as he, Charlie Brown and Sally left for the TARDIS Toyshed. The Toyshed was a considerable distance away from the coffee shop, and Linus’ legs knew it. As much as Linus didn’t want to admit it, he was still quite tired from the previous day’s adventuring. Eventually, having walked past considerable numbers of people, the Toyshed came into view. As Linus approached the Toyshed, he took his Sonic screwdriver out of his jacket, and unlocked the door with it. The door then opened, and they walked inside. 

“So where are you taking us now, Linus?” Sally asked.

“We’re going to go back home.” Linus replied. 

“You need some rest. Why not rest here inside this thing?” Charlie Brown asked.”

“Does this Toyshed even have beds?”

“It should do. It’s an intergalactic spaceship.”

“And time machine.” Added Linus.

“Oh yeah.” Sally replied. Everyone went quiet for a while, before Charlie Brown asked.

“So, are you sleeping here, or once we get home.

“I’d like to have a rest once I get home.” Linus answered. “for now, I have to get us home safely.” As he said that, he typed in the space-time co-ordinates for the back of Linus’ garden, where it was before. Sally then spoke up. 

“Linus?” Asked Sally.

“Yes?”

“Can you show me what earth looks like from outside?”

“Sure, that won’t take long.” Linus replied, retyping the space-time co-ordinates. As he pulled the lever, the TARDIS made its familiar VWORP VWORP VWORP and they were whisked away from planet Xenon. Linus and crew held on to the railings whilst it travelled through space and time, before rematerializing just above the earth. Sally tried to look out of the window, but she couldn’t reach it.

“Let me help you.” Said Linus, as he walked up to the TARDIS door and opened it. Charlie Brown was very surprised. Even though they were in space, the TARDIS wasn’t depressurizing at all. Sally was too wonderstruck at the beauty of the earth to think of anything else. 

“How are you able to open the door, Linus?” Charlie Brown asked, puzzled by what he was seeing.

“The TARDIS creates a force-field around itself to prevent oxygen from leaking out if the door is opened.” Linus told him. “It’s a way of protecting everyone inside the spaceship.” 

“Ah, Okay.” Charlie Brown replied in understanding. He walked up to where Sally was standing, and admired the view.

“It’s Beautiful.” Sally said.

“I know.” Her brother replied. Linus just stood behind them, smiling. In truth, this was the first time he had seen the earth from the outside, but in the back of his mind, he knew that he was going to come back and see a lot more than what he was looking at now. 

“Do you think we can see our house from here?” Sally asked.

“I think its right there.” Charlie Brown answered, pointing in the direction of where Minnesota was. 

“Do you think we should head back?” Sally asked. 

“Yeah, I think we should.” Charlie Brown replied, bravely stepping forward to close the door. The door shut with a clunk. Charlie Brown grabbed the railing on the side and said…   
“Okay Linus, Take us home.” 

“Sure thing.” Linus replied, setting the space-time co-ordinates for home. He pulled the lever, and the TARDIS whooshed from where it was, in outer space, before rematerializing back in Linus’ back garden. Charlie Brown was to first to step out of the Toyshed. “This is your garden alright” Charlie Brown said. Charlie Brown turned around to see Linus and Sally stepping out, and asked.

“What time is it?”

“It should be 10 minutes after we left.” Answered Linus. 

Charlie Brown was puzzled. “So have we only been gone ten minutes, or…?” 

“To everyone else, we’ve been gone for ten minutes, but we’ve been gone for a whole day. That’s the magic of time travel, Charlie Brown.” Charlie Brown puckered up after that. Charlie Brown said goodbye to Linus and went home, eager to see his parents. Sally decided to follow him, but not before giving Linus a hug. Linus went home too, and went to see his mother. His mother greeted him warmly.

“You’re back quickly!” She said as he walked in. 

“I know.” Linus replied.

“I’d say how was your day, but you’ve only been gone since breakfast.” She said. “And it’s only lunchtime.”

“Did you see the Toy shed disappear?” Linus asked.

“No.” Linus’ mother replied. “I’m sure I heard a noise, but I ignored it.” She said.

“I did.” Said Linus’ Dad, as he entered the room. “Although I didn’t expect you to be back so quickly. I thought you’d be gone for hours.”

“I was gone for hours.” Linus replied. 

“How?” Linus’ mother asked.

“It’s a time machine, mom.” Linus replied. “I could be gone for weeks and still be back in time for dinner.”

“I don’t quite understand how that works, but I’ll go along with what you said.” She said.

“So how was your adventure?” Linus’ dad asked.

“It was fun, if a little tiring.” Linus said. Upon him saying this, Linus’ mother noticed that he was definitely quite tired. 

“Once we’ve had lunch, Linus, you should go and rest.” She said. At that point, Linus’ mother went out to get Lucy and Rerun back for lunchtime. The Van Pelts sat quietly at the table, eating their food. Rerun tried to ask about Linus’ adventure, but their father advised him not to. Once they had finished their lunch, Linus went up to his room and sat on his bed. He didn’t do much, except read, and think. Linus wanted to go to sleep, but knew that he would rather wait until night to do that, he kept himself awake long enough to eat dinner, but after that, he got into his pyjamas, brushed his teeth, and went to bed for a nice, long, nap.

Sally, meanwhile, was out in the garden, talking to Lucy.

“Lucy, why is my detective office in pieces?” she asked.

“I violently disassembled it in a fit of rage.” Lucy replied.

“So you tore it up and smashed it with a hammer.” Sally said, picking up the hammer from among the wreckage. 

“Are you angry about it?” Lucy asked.

“Nah.” Sally replied, dropping the hammer. “Thanks to you, I’ve been on an adventure far bigger than you’ve ever known. I’ve seen new planets, set foot on alien soil, and even met a few friends along the way. I don’t say you’ve done anything like that today, have you?” she said. 

“No.” Lucy replied. That fact that Sally hadn’t been angry made her mad, and the shameless boasting on top of it made her visibly red in the face. She wanted to shout at Sally, but she had already gone home, so Lucy picked up the hammer and smashed at the broken desk a few more times. Soon enough it was lunchtime, and Lucy was called in.

Everything was calm in Charlie Brown’s house, and Charlie Brown and Sally were sitting in the living room, drinking hot chocolate and relaxing. Mr and Mrs Brown asked them about their day, and were surprised to hear about their adventures. After that, Mrs Brown suggested that they all watch TV. And they did so, for a good while. There was plenty of interesting TV to watch. At the end of the day, they all had dinner and they all went to bed. Sally lay in her bed, thinking about all the marvels of the universe, and how, for now at least, she would be able to see a whole lot more of it, and with her sweet babboo at her side, she wouldn’t dream of anything else, as she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Charlie Brown lay on his bed, recounting his adventure, the risks, the rewards, the amount of fun it was to run, and the level of fear it was to freefall. Charlie Brown couldn’t help but feel bad times were coming ahead. As much as the universe brought a sense of wonder and amazement, there was a certain amount of danger and uncertainty that troubled Charlie Brown, ‘but those things won’t happen now, I hope.’ Charlie Brown thought to himself, tugging his bedsheet tightly, as he drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is as far as i have written. As much as i am aware that this story is by no means finished, it's been a long time since I last added to it and I have been focusing on other fics. I might come back to this, but don't expect anything soon.

**Author's Note:**

> The Next Chapter will be coming soon. I wrote this a long while ago and I have improved a lot since then, so please forgive the exposition. This chapter, as well as the other 4 that i have done, was previously posted on Fanfiction.net.


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